Many people dream of working from home, especially in these challenging economic times when layoffs come at a moment’s notice.

So when you run across an e-mail or ad that claims you can start making a profit in three hours — and there are a ton of such promises out there — it gets your attention. And there it is in black and white, BBBReviews.org says the the business is “ranked No. 1.” All you need, the ad claims, is a computer and an Internet connection!

Well I have that! So being naturally curious, I logged on to 3hoursprofit.com and found a lot of verbiage and no substance. Not a word about how I was going to make ginormous amounts of money ($10,000 to $15,000 a month!), just a lot of glowing words telling me that I would. To find out how, I’d have to plunk down $39.

Some savvy research (OK, I Googled it) confirmed my suspicions: 3 Hours Profits wants to teach me to place online classified ads. I continue my research. I go to BBBreviews.org. Oh, this isn’t THE BBB, just a clever play on the name.

I go to the real BBB and check the business reliability report (you can do this for any business, by the way, nationwide and in Canada). The BBB now gives letter grades so consumers know instantly whether or not the business is reliable. In this case, 3 Hours Profit, operated by Force One Events Inc. out of Minnesota, has an F rating from the BBB. Part of the reason for the low grade, the report explains, is failure to respond to complaints.

The real BBB — bookmark us at wynco.bbb.org —  advises consumers to always do their research before making a business or purchasing decision. This includes employment opportunities, too!

Have you run across other too-good-to-be true work-from-home schemes on the Internet?